Prohibition and Moonshine

With: Julia Maggard (University of Virginia at Wise)

The common stereotype of moonshiners is one of lawbreakers and profiteers. But Julia Maggard says moonshining was a crucial economic supplement for some families in impoverished regions and that moonshiners supported each other in times of need.

With: Michael Lewis (Christopher Newport University)

South Carolina saw the statewide prohibition of alcohol in 1915. But not before the state established its own dispensary system more than a decade earlier. In his book The Coming of Southern Prohibition, Michael Lewis tells the story of one South Carolina town at the intersection of race, religion, and alcohol.

Hoping to revitalize the town of Appalachia, Virginia, Tessa McCoy-Hall and Meredith McCool looked to the past. They share the stories they heard while interviewing old-timers from the once-rich mining town.

A film director from the town of Big Stone Gap in Virginia had a homecoming like no other when she returned for the release of her new film. Lilia Fuquen reports that the romantic comedy reveals a certain nostalgia for both the mountains and the people of Big Stone Gap.